# What is extremely common in TV or movies but almost never happens in real life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2021, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311 "2021-02-06T04:16:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 137
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2722 "2023-08-17T07:02:17Z")
> [@Wallaby](#): > > Laryngitis, causing loss of voice. There’s an episode of Modern Family in which Ed O’Neill’s voice is noticeably hoarse and weak. It’s not part of the script and there are no references to it, which is why I think it was the actor who suffered it and not his character. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2723 "2023-08-17T07:22:42Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > the school secretary had “lost her voice” due to laryngyitis. LOST HER VOICE!!, I thought. I’ve had my voice get husky or hard to project a lot, especially before I got my tonsils out, and a few times been advised by my doctor to use it as little as possible to avoid getting vocal nodes. However, once, in 56 years, I did actually entirely lose my voice. It was in the Smart phone era, which is to say, between 5 & 10 years ago, and I had to type things out to people-- when I did it in stores, people always assumed I was Deaf, which goes to show that just not being able to speak, whether permanently or temporary, never occurs to anyone. Lasted about 3 days, and then I could speak very hoarsely, and same advice-- don’t, until my voice had returned fully. You could basically have the same plot if a person is just hoarse and ordered not to speak, but I guess that isn’t as dramatic, albeit, in half the plots I’ve seen, the character has to sing, or perform in a play/deliver an important speech and just being hoarse can put the kibosh on that pretty fast. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2724 "2023-08-17T07:53:10Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > You could basically have the same plot if a person is just hoarse and ordered not to speak, but I guess that isn’t as dramatic, albeit, in half the plots I’ve seen, the character has to sing, or perform in a play/deliver an important speech and just being hoarse can put the kibosh on that pretty fast. I once knew a professional nightclub singer who had to do a gig while suffering from what sounded like strep throat (which I had at the age of 14 and thought I was gonna die). She was able to pull it off by spraying her throat with an anesthetic all afternoon before going on stage. Likewise, my boss at the radio station where I worked back in the '90s was a professional drummer who had worked at The Flame in Minneapolis (if you’ve ever heard of that venue). He told me about a well-known C&W performer (sorry, I don’t remember which one) who also had to do a gig with a raging sore throat. He started sipping brandy mixed with Crème de Mûre hours before the show started, and you would never have guessed anything was wrong when he got on stage. My boss said his jaw dropped in amazement when he heard him start to sing. So yeah, life does occasionally imitate art. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2725 "2023-08-17T07:57:07Z")
Yeah, but pain and hoarseness are not the same thing, even though you might be instructed by a doctor not to speak with a certain kind of infection as well. When I have had difficulty speaking, or even lost my voice entirely, I never was in any pain, and I’ve had bad throat pain that didn’t make me hoarse. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2726 "2023-08-17T08:01:50Z")
I get what you mean. When I was in my Froggy period mentioned above, it didn’t hurt either. But I was in a lot of pain before my voice started to come back ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2727 "2023-08-17T08:15:38Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I’ve had my voice get husky or hard to project a lot, especially before I got my tonsils out, and a few times been advised by my doctor to use it as little as possible to avoid getting vocal nodes. I had my tonsils out when I was 7, so that wasn’t an excuse. But I did have a stint as a pro wrestling ring announcer for some years. I have a big voice, if I want to have one, but if I don’t, that’s fine too. I got my start in radio as the night guy, where you have to have a quiet, soothing voice. And yes, I’ve done everything from “Sunday, Sunday, Sunday, it’s Monster Truck Madnesssssss!” to “Well, looks like it’s 2:09 in the morning, and here’s Elton John and ‘Tiny Dancer.’” Pro wrestling. Yeah, you need a big voice to be the ring announcer: “Now entering the ring area. Weighing in at 225 pounds, and coming to us from New York City, the _ **Crushhhhh-er** _!” A few times, our sound system conked out, and I managed without a microphone in a school gym, that’s how big my voice can be. I occasionally use my “wrestling voice” at the local racetrack, where many people can attest that “Come on, Number Five!” can actually be heard over the PA. And hurts their ears. But one night at wrestling, my voice just didn’t want to work. Normally, that is; I had a cold, and while my voice wasn’t down to a whisper, it was, at best, a croak. I popped nonstop Fisherman’s Friends for the anaesthetic effects, and managed to speak passably through the pain. Tea and honey and more Fisherman’s Friends later that night and next morning, for sure. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2728 "2023-08-17T11:01:59Z")
I, too, lost my voice once. Happened one New Year’s Eve at a very noisy crowded bar. Shouting over the din, I somehow blew out my voice and didn’t realize it for a minute or so. I was trying to shout something to a friend who just grinned and said, “You don’t realize it, but you’re about to lose your voice completely!” I said, “What?” 🙃 ---
**Author:** ![Eclipse\_Chaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Eclipse\_Chaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eclipse_Chaser)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2729 "2023-08-17T14:40:21Z")
I think Linda Whatsername did it in the first Crocodile Dundee movie. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2730 "2023-08-17T17:55:34Z")
Has anyone ever, in real life, attended a costume party where one of a couple was the front of a horse, and the other was the back of the horse? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2731 "2023-08-17T18:01:55Z")
I have no answer but the term for that is _pantomime horse_. > **[Pantomime horse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantomime_horse)** > > A pantomime horse is a theatrical representation of a horse or other quadruped by two actors in a single costume who cooperate and synchronize their movements. One actor plays the front end, including the horse's head and its front legs, in a more-or-less upright posture and with a reasonable field of view afforded by eye holes in the horse's head. The other actor, playing the rear end of the animal, must bend at the waist so that his torso is horizontal like that of a horse and put his arm Panto... ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2732 "2023-08-17T18:34:55Z")
I could count the number of costume parties that I’ve attended on one hand and have plenty of fingers left over. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2733 "2023-08-17T19:02:02Z")
Pantomime Horse was the category for Jeopardy the other day. I didn’t understand the reference at the time. This was the first clue: Also known as broad beans or horse beans, they are said to go well with a nice Chianti. Answer: Fava beans. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2734 "2023-08-17T20:27:41Z")
Huh. I never knew they’re called horse beans. You learn something new every day! (The “Chianti” reference was a dead giveaway! 🤭) Are broad beans the same as lima beans? I once told a British friend of mine that I like lima beans, but I wasn’t sure what they’re called in the UK. He said “You mean broad beans. I hate 'em!” ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2735 "2023-08-17T23:56:04Z")
No matter what I dress as, everybody says I was the perfect horse’s ass at any party. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2023, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2736 "2023-08-18T00:01:43Z")
The phone charge thing: I used to think that was just a tv trope, but I’ve yet to attend a family gathering where someone doesn’t go around asking if someone’s got a charger. And when that person is done, instead of giving it back they loan it to 3 or 4 other people. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2023, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2737 "2023-08-18T00:06:59Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Has anyone ever, in real life, attended a costume party where one of a couple was the front of a horse, and the other was the back of the horse? [Kate Beckinsale](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mQe7_l9iJI), apparently! ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2023, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2738 "2023-08-18T01:04:38Z")
I was reminded of this thread while making a serious post over in P&E. Prisoners often get ahold of the guard’s guns in TV and movies, but IRL they’re generally kept where the cannot _be_ gotten at for just that reason. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2023, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2739 "2023-08-18T01:10:14Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Are broad beans the same as lima beans? I once told a British friend of mine that I like lima beans, but I wasn’t sure what they’re called in the UK. He said “You mean broad beans. I hate 'em!” No. Lima beans are what the British call Butter Beans. Broad beans are dark green. [![](https://groceries.morrisons.com/productImages/233/233526011_0_640x640.jpg?identifier=26d8555caed0a983e8b1e846ff92d62e) ](https://groceries.morrisons.com/productImages/233/233526011_0_640x640.jpg?identifier=26d8555caed0a983e8b1e846ff92d62e) [https://www.britishonlinesupermarket.com/pub/media/catalog/product/cache/8fd35aa2704e93eaef0f86bd99a2b993/4/3/4366-05051622054259.jpg](https://www.britishonlinesupermarket.com/pub/media/catalog/product/cache/8fd35aa2704e93eaef0f86bd99a2b993/4/3/4366-05051622054259.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2023, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2740 "2023-08-18T01:20:02Z")
Thanks for clearing that up for me. 👍 ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2023, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2741 "2023-08-18T03:01:18Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > No. Lima beans are what the British call Butter Beans. > > Broad beans are dark green. I think in the US we might call both of those lima beans. Sometimes in the US lima beans are green. Sometimes they’re big and beige. They’re green in the classic mixed frozen vegetables with lima beans, where the kids eat the corn and carrots, but feed the lima beans to the dog. I’ve had dishes where the big, beige beans are called lima beans, but also similar dishes where they’re called butter beans. I can’t think of a good way to tie this back to the OP, as we’ve already done (or maybe in another thread), the comedy trope of ordering food, and not getting what you expect. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=136) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=138)